The Presidential Elections are upon us, and plenty of celebrities are already utilizing their platforms to encourage their followers to take part in one of our country’s defining moments. One of these stars is Dingdong Dantes, who has long been known for speaking up for causes he believes in, especially issues that relate to the youth.
The actor took to Instagram to share an empowering message to young voters. “Having been born in the early ’80s, I think this is one of the most important elections of our lifetime. Whoever we choose will dictate how we would recover from the global beating this pandemic has caused us,” he wrote.
His post came a day after the presidential interviews hosted by award-winning journalist Jessica Soho aired in GMA-7, putting a spotlight on the front-running candidates Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Panfilo Lacson, Senator Manny Pacquiao, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.
The actor expressed his admiration for the Kapuso anchor’s well-executed interview. He said it “highlighted how responsible journalism can help shape perspectives & present reality”. Further explaining his take, he said, “It started with candidness and evolved into an in-depth scrutiny of complex issues that were made simpler and easier to digest for Filipinos. Diretso sa punto. Walang paligoy-ligoy. It didn’t fail to lay out the real situation of our country: from climate change—to poverty and corruption—to our COVID response.
“It was also a much-needed forum to level off the playing field as it put out hard but very important questions for our presidential hopefuls. Lumitaw ‘yung may plano. Naging obvious kung sino ang pasok sa iyong kasalukuyang hinahanap.”
The actor didn’t name the candidate who impressed him the most, but he did encourage others to be vigilant in casting the right vote. He broke down his selection process into three action points:
1. Plan
“Bago mamili ng iboboto, please make sure you do your research at siguraduhin ang integridad ng source of information,” says Dingdong. “Hindi sapat na magsaliksik lang sa social media. Manood ng interviews kagaya na lang ng sa GMA. You have to go out there and search for what you think you and your country needs.”
2. Discern
According to Dingdong, elections are not about choosing the popular one. He advises the young Filipinos, “Don’t look at winnability or popularity. Search for integrity, competence and commitment to the values of humanity. Be sensitive not only to your own circumstance but also to the plight of your countrymen. Your generation and the next ones will depend on our decisions today.”
3. Act
Dingdong emphasizes the need to get out and use our voice. “Go out and vote. Claim your role as responsible citizens. You have a role in our society’s quest for genuine good governance.”
For the award-winning actor, “we are what we consume”, thus, it is our utmost responsibility to combat misinformation and trust only reputable sources especially when it comes to politics. He explains, “We have to be mindful of what we feed our mind. While everyone can be an agent of information dissemination in a highly globalized world, there are still institutions who are raising the bar for media and public service.”
From The Candy Bulletin Community
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